I veco's Brescia-built 120E23 12-tonne EuroCargo is not sold in the
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UK except as a special order, but it looks a good value truck with many virtues. It's high on power, with over 220hp coming from the 5.86-litre inline six and is pretty fuel-efficient too.
It's the only one of the group with an eightspeed synchro box: this provides quite a wide spread of cogs which is just as well because there's a lot less torque than you might expect. This shortage manifests itself when accelerating through the gears but nevertheless the EuroCargo performs well at that weight despite requiring the most gearchanges in our group.
On a 3.69m wheelbase the chassis-cab tares out at nearly 4.2 tonnes to leave the operator with over 7.8 tonnes of body/payload: it falls in the middle of the spread of weights.
There's a fair amount of axle loading toter
ance, which is useful when considering the type of equipment to be fitted such as a fridge unit or tail-lift in diminishing load situations.
The Iveco cab looks as fresh as ever and scores well on access and general visibility but interior noise levels are higher than you might expect. It begins to sound especial ly throbby at around 1,800rpm and the vibes come up through the floor and the seat. Noise levels in our test vehicle weren't helped by the windows to the rear of the cab, though they improved the feeling of space.
Despite a low, light clutch pedal the eight-speeder's double-H pattern shift was fiddly and called for the occasional strong cuff around the gearknob—we aren't keen on the "slap-across" rangechange either. The gear lever also interferes with cross-cab access but ergonomically the cab layout is generally good, with clearly laid-out gauges and dials and switches well within easy reach. It's spoilt, though, by having an exhaust brake button mounted too far forward. Driving mirrors are excellent, as is the location of the adjuster controls in the headboard. The steering wheel tilts but it could do with a reach adjustment too.
Importantly for driver comfort, the airsprung Isringhausen seat seems to have been an afterthought. It feels reasonable for short trips, and the integral safety belt encourages its use but after a day in the saddle it begins to feel uncomfortable. The ergonomists of BGZ commented especially on its plank-like seatcushion—the worst on test—and there's very little in the way of backrest support. Still, the dual passenger seat is quite usable as these things go.
We were quite taken by the EuroCargo: it's a fast, fuel-efficient performer with a high level of driveability, and it feels like a proper truck. But Iveco must do something about that seat...